* * * * * * * * * * * * * The Electronic AIR * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* *
* The Electronic Newsletter *
* of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) *
* Serving Institutional Research Professionals *
* and those Engaged in Mgt. Research, Policy Analysis & Planning *
* *
* October 31, 1995. . . . . . . . . . .Volume 15, Number 15 *
* Part A *
* Editor - Larry Nelson, Pacific Lutheran University *
* *
* Subscription Mgt. - Rob Thomas, AIR Office *
* Jobs Editing - Jacque Frost, Purdue University *
* *
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* Current Subscribers = 1481 *
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* EDITOR'S NOTE: Happy Halloween & My Fall Vacation *
* THE CHANGING SCENE *
* AIR NEWS - AIR Membership Survey Results (Final Installment) *
* AIR NEWS - Editor Sought for AIR Newsletter (print version) *
* 1996 AIR FORUM NEWS - Record Number of Forum Proposals Received *
* NEWS - Joint Commission (JCAR) on Accountability Reporting Update *
* NEWS - NCES Announces Availability of 1992 IPEDS CD-ROM *
* NEWS - AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowships *
* NEWS FROM THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY - CAIR WWW Page Now Available *
* NEWS FROM THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY - Electronic Factbooks On-Line *
* Clearinghouse *
* LISTWATCH - AERA-D (AERA Discussion List D) *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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* EDITOR'S NOTE: Happy Halloween & My Fall Vacation *
* Larry Nelson, Pacific Lutheran University *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Happy Halloween! Thank you for your patience in waiting for this
issue. I have been away from my desk far too much recently. Reasons
for my absence included a mini-vacation, attending an AIR Publications
Committee meeting, attending a PNAIRP meeting, and (most recently)
serving on jury duty. While going to Atlanta for the Publications
Committee meeting, I took advantage of the opportunity by going South 3
days early and taking a brief driving vacation in Alabama and Georgia.
I continued my quest to see things connected with civil rights and
political history and was not disappointed. I had a chance to tour part
of Alabama's famous Tuskegee University and spent considerable time in a
marvelous museum illustrating the lives and work of Booker Washington
and George Washington Carver as well as the University's historical
development. What an inspirational story!
In Montgomery, I saw the State historical archive museum, the famous
Civil Rights Memorial located outside the Southern Poverty Law Center,
the Baptist Church on Dexter Avenue pastored by Martin Luther King, Jr.
while he led the bus boycott, and the first "White House" of the
Confederate States (located across from the state capitol). An
unexpected surprise included meeting former Alabama governor George
Wallace during a tour of a museum that will eventually become part of
the George and Lurleen Wallace Center for the Study of Southern
Politics. In addition, I traveled to Selma to tour the National Voting
Rights Museum and see where the historic voting rights march of 30 years
ago was begun.
In Georgia, I saw historic Plains (home of President Jimmy Carter
along with many other Carters). What a peaceful and attractive little
town that seems to have maintained its charm now that it's at least
partially "out of the spotlight." I also stopped at the park and
memorial where the infamous Andersonville prison stood during the Civil
War.
Once again, Southern hospitality lived up to its reputation. The
fall scenery was beautiful. The food was tasty and reasonably priced.
History was all around. There was much food for thought and reflection.
Only the remaining ravages of Hurricane Opal detracted from the scene.
Unfortunately, many of the places I visited had suffered extensive
damage during the recent hurricane. Although most places were "open for
business" again, there remains much work to be done in the months and
years ahead to clean up, fix up and replace what this devastating storm
destroyed.
I apologize for taking what was probably too much space to tell you
about my "fall vacation." Nevertheless, it's important to me that you
know that I'm something besides a "computer nerd" who pecks away at the
keyboard all the time to bring you this newsletter. I had a great
vacation, a productive meeting with the AIR Publications Committee, and
a great reunion with fellow committee members (most of whom I see only
twice a year). Special congratulations go to our Publications Committee
chair, Larry Jones , who took top honors in our
efforts to see who could eat a dessert closest in size to their own
body. Ask Larry for the gory details.
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* THE CHANGING SCENE *
* "A way to keep up with news about our colleagues." *
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This portion of the newsletter is devoted to keeping you informed
about changes such as readers who relocate to new positions and/or
institutions, professional recognition awards and honors, retirements,
deaths, newly hired colleagues, promotions, etc. If you become aware of
a change on your campus or elsewhere which should be mentioned in "The
Changing Scene," please send me a note at with
the key facts. Keep it brief, but include the information you think
others would like to know.
The Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation at Southeastern
Louisiana University has been re-named the Office of Institutional
Research and Assessment. BEATRICE BALDWIN has been
named Director and Assistant to the Vice-President for Planning,
Research, and Development. Also new to that office is Research
Associate MICHELLE HALL , formerly at Southern Illinois
University, Carbondale. Best wishes, Beatrice and Michelle!
GARY HOUSE will, beginning November 1, assume the position of
Performance Measures Specialist with the Office of Community College
Services at the Oregon Board of Education. Gary has been at Portland
Community College. Congratulations and best wishes, Gary!
The AIR Office was notified last week that LOIS TORRENCE suffered a
stroke in September. Lois is a "founding mother" of AIR; she was a
charter member and present at the very first meeting. She was AIR
president in 1974-75 and given the Outstanding Service Award winner in
1984. She served as director of IR at the University of Connecticut and
is an emeritus member of AIR. Lois is unable to use the telephone, but
would appreciate cards and letters. Send them to:
Lois Torrence
Room 103
Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation
100 Warren Circle
Storrs, CT 06268
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* AIR NEWS - AIR Membership Survey Results (Final Installment) *
* Sarah Lindquist, AIR Membership Comm. Chair*
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Editor's Note: I wish to extend my appreciation to Sarah and her
committee for the great effort they put into development and
implementation of last year's membership survey and to Sarah in
particular for her efforts in writing a series of articles to
communicate the results to AIR members. I can tell you from personal
experience that the AIR leadership is paying attention to the results.
- - - - -
The AIR Membership survey was administered in Fall 1994. The
purpose of the survey was to help build a more in-depth profile of AIR
members and to aid in planning AIR programs, publications, and services
for the next three years. In three previous issues of the Electronic
AIR, survey results which focused on a membership profile, the AIR
Forum, and AIR professional development activities were presented. This
report will highlight survey findings on AIR and other postsecondary
education publications.
The survey was mailed to every 1994-95 AIR member and to those
1993-94 members who had not yet renewed for 1994-95. Approximately
2,700 surveys were mailed around the world. Over 1,250 surveys were
returned to the AIR Executive Office for a 46% response rate. A
comparison of the profile of survey respondents with the AIR membership
database showed that respondents were generally representative of all
AIR members geographically and by place of employment.
The survey included a list of eleven AIR publications. Members were
asked to indicate how valuable each publication had been in their work
and professional development. The top five rated AIR publications are
given below. The number in parentheses is the percentage of respondents
who indicated that the publication was "highly valuable."
Five Most Valuable AIR Publications
1. New Directions for Institutional Research (47%)
2. AIR Membership Directory (36%)
3. Primer for Institutional Research (36%)
4. Research in Higher Education (32%)
5. Electronic AIR Newsletter (26%)
The survey also included a list of 20 professional education
journals and bulletins. Respondents were asked whether they read the
publication regularly, occasionally, or not at all. The Chronicle of
Higher Education was the overwhelming favorite of AIR members with 72%
indicating that they read it regularly. The next tier of regularly read
publications by our members included New Directions in Institutional
Research (44%), Research in Higher Education (34%), Change Magazine
(26%), AAHE Bulletin (23%), and New Directions for Higher Education
(21%).
The survey also focused on whether AIR members would want an AIR
journal, either New Directions in Institutional Research (NDIR) or
Research in Higher Education (RIHE), as part of their membership
package. This benefit would, of course, necessitate an increase in AIR
dues projected at about $25. Sixty percent of survey respondents said
that they would support a dues increase to receive a journal
subscription. Sixteen percent would not support a dues increase for a
journal and 23% were not sure. As a side note to the 1994 survey
report, AIR in 1995 negotiated significant discounts for AIR members
subscribing to either NDIR or RIHE. Consequently, this issue has
basically faded away.
This article concludes a general overview of the findings of the
1994 AIR Membership survey. Results from the survey have been and will
continue to be used in AIR planning. If you have any questions about
the membership survey, please contact me (Sarah.Lindquist, AIR
Membership Chair) at .
Sarah Lindquist
Arizona State University
Box 870511
Tempe, AZ 85287-0511
Phone: (602) 965-7146
FAX: (602) 965-6859
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* AIR NEWS - Editor Sought for AIR Newsletter (print version) *
* Tim Sanford, AIR Vice-President *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
An AIR Opportunity
The Association for Institutional Research is seeking a member of
the Association to become involved in AIR activities by serving as the
Editor of the quarterly AIR print newsletter. The Editor will be an ex
officio member of the Publications Committee and will work closely with
the staff of the AIR Office. Duties include gathering news and writing
copy as well as developing new features of interest to members.
Considerable latitude will be enjoyed by the Editor in revitalizing the
print newsletter. Design, layout, printing, and distribution will be
handled by the AIR Office staff. The newsletter is published in
October, January, April, and July.
Interested individuals should contact AIR Vice President Tim Sanford
by phone: (919) 962-1500) or e-mail .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* 1996 AIR FORUM NEWS - Record Number of Forum Proposals Received *
* Darrell Glenn, West Virginia System *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Betty Stanley, 1996 Forum Chair, reports that the Forum Committee
received a record number of proposals for contributed papers, panels and
demonstrations for the May 5-8, 1996 Albuquerque Forum. A total of 276
proposals were submitted for presentations in the seven Forum Tracks -
on Enrollment Management and Student Affairs; Institutional
Effectiveness, Student Learning, and Outcomes Assessment; Academic
Program and Faculty Issues; Resource Management and Quality Improvement;
Policy Analysis, Planning, and Governance; Theory, Practice and Ethics
of Institutional Research; and Technology and Tools for Institutional
Research.
The proposals are being reviewed by seven-person track committees,
and recommendations will be sent to Betty Stanley by the track chairs.
Preliminary reports indicate that the quality of the proposals is just
as impressive as the quantity, suggesting that the quality of the
presentations at the Forum will also be high.
The preliminary program and registration materials for the 1996
Forum will be mailed in February. In the meantime, for information on
the Forum, please contact:
Forum Chair Elizabeth C. Stanley
E-Mail:
OR
Associate Forum Chair Michael Middaugh
E-Mail:
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 10:52:15 -0600 (MDT)
From: WPO4#123#ADMIN.POSTA#c#trudy#125#%ADMINWPO.OAKTON@OCC4.oakton.edu
Subject: JCAR information for AIR electronic newsletter
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* NEWS - Joint Commission (JCAR) on Accountability Reporting Update *
* Trudy Bers, AIR President *
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The Joint Commission on Accountability Reporting, an
interassociation project of AACC, AASCU and NASULGC, has completed its
recommendations for compiling and reporting data about three broad
accountability areas: higher education costs to students, student
advancement in and among institutions, and licensure and employment and
leaving college. Recommendations for reporting on the fourth topic
being considered by JCAR -- faculty activity -- are still being
developed.
The JCAR recommendations are available in two versions, an Executive
Summary and a Technical Manual. The Executive Summary will be released
at AASCU's annual meeting on Tuesday, November 21. It will be mailed
after that to all members of the three sponsoring associations,
governors, legislative leaders concerned about higher education, JCAR
Monitors and others who have indicated an interest. The Technical
Manual is available at a modest charge from AASCU. An order form and
pricing information follows.
For additional information contact John Hammang and AASCU, One
Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. 20036.
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Order from:
AASCU Publications
1 Dupont Circle Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Checks or money orders should be made payable to the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities. Prices include
shipping. Include a complete address and name of a person to whom the
manuals are to be shipped.
Prices for Members of AASCU, AACC or NASULGC
1-4 copies when ordered at one time
$25/copy
5-10 copies when orderd at one time
$22.50/copy
11+ copies when orderd at one time
$21.00/copy
Prices for Non-members
1-4 copies when ordered at one time
$35/copy
5-10 copies when orderd at one time
$32.50/copy
11+ copies when orderd at one time
$31.00/copy
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* NEWS - NCES Announces Availability of 1992 IPEDS CD-ROM *
* Bill Freund, NCES *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NCES has announced the availability of the 1992 IPEDS CD-ROM. This
new Windows-based version contains selected institutional data from 3
years of IPEDS (1990-91 through 1992-93) plus the full survey files from
the 1992-93 survey cycle. The CD-ROM is being mailed to all accredited
higher education institutions during the week of October 10. But
remember that NCES uses the institutional address of the main
administrative office (President, etc.). So look for a red (yes, red)
CD-ROM in the mail sometime during the week of October 16. Finally,
Bill Freund will have some copies available at the SAIR and NEAIR
meetings.
If you can't locate the CD-ROM, a copy can be mailed to you by
calling Tracy Ferbish, National Data Resource Center (NDRC) at
(703) 845-3151 or sending an e-mail message to . For
those of you who returned the 1991 registration card, NDRC will mail
you a personal copy within a week or so.
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* NEWS - AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowships *
* Reprinted From: AERA-MI - AERA Educational Research Forum on *
* Minority Issues *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Recognizing the limited number of educational researchers from
under-represented groups, AERA has initiated a Fellowship Program to
assist in increasing that pool. The program will support two minority
fellows this year.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be 1) a members of one of the groups traditionally
underrepresented in higher education in the United States: for example,
African American, Native American, Alaskan native (Eskimo or Aleut),
Native Pacific Islander, Filipino American, Mexican American, Puerto
Rican; 2) an enrolled doctoral student in an accredited university of
the United States, have successfully completed most course requirements,
and have an accepted PhD/EdD dissertation proposal; 3) committed to
working full-time on the dissertation; and 4) interested in a career in
higher education/educational research.
Awards:
The program will support two minority fellows each year. The awards
will be for $10,000 per year and are designed to assist in the final two
years of the doctoral program. Support funds are not intended to be
used for payment of tuition.
Deadline:
Application materials must be received by February 26, 1996. Awards
will be announced in late May, 1996.
Contact:
AERA, Minority Fellowships, 1230 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC
20036-3078, (202) 223-9485.
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* NEWS FROM THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY - CAIR WWW Page Now Available *
* Bob Daly, University of California - Irvine *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CAIR's (California Association for Institutional Research) World
Wide Web page is now available. The URL is "http://www.cair.org/" (no
quotes, of course). CAIR's web site contains many valuable sources of
information, including an environmental scanning page, called "CAIR
Outlook," and a link to "The Electronic AIR" archives.
Please contact CAIR's Webmaster, Bob Daly at the University of
California, Irvine, at bobdaly@uci.edu, or CAIR's President, Joan Sallee
at the California Postsecondary Education Commission, at
, if you have questions or comments.
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* NEWS FROM THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY - Electronic Factbooks On-Line *
* Clearinghouse *
* Reprinted From: IR Software List *
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The URL below points to web-based clearinghouse for electronic
factbooks. It includes a list of pointers to web-based electronic
factbooks, locations for descriptions of non-WWW factbooks (with a
discussion of my new e-factbook to appear soon), and web versions of
previous papers and workshops about electronic factbooks. I apologize in
advance for the me-centric nature of some of the stuff but it is what I
had to start with. Any other contributions of papers, etc. are more
than welcome!
http://www.willamette.edu:80/~tmassa/factbooks/factbooks.html
The goal of this effort is to provide a variety of discussions, techniques,
examples, tools, etc. that may be of use to our colleagues in building
electronic factbooks.
Tod R. Massa
Asst. Registrar for Institutional Research
Willamette University
Phone: (503) 375-5303
E-Mail:
http://www.willamette.edu/~tmassa/
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* LISTWATCH - AERA-D (AERA Discussion List D) *
* Darrell Glenn, WV State Coll/Univ. Systems *
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AERA-D discusses measurement and research methodology in education.
Participants range in background from university faculty in psychology
and educational research to assessment practitioners in K12 school
districts. The list is busy, with 65 posts in the 14 day observation
period between September 15 to September 28.
I do not know if the list is moderated, but the posts were very free
of clutter. The major threads during the two week period included:
validity in testing (22), factor analysis (4), the Degrees of Reading
Power test (5), the purpose of qualifying exams in education graduate
programs (3), tests vs. assessment (8), mathematics in the training of
psychology students (4), standardized vs. performance tests (8).
Very helpful people participate in this list. The lengthy thread on
validity in testing was sparked by a brief inquiry made by a graduate
student. Institutional researchers involved in assessment could profit
from a subscription to this list.
To subscribe, send the following message to
, or if you are on BITNET,
:
subscribe aera-d
- - - - -
I would greatly appreciate reader suggestions on other discussions
lists that might be of interest to institutional researchers. E-Mail
all suggestions to .
- - - - - - - - -
This newsletter is continued in Part B, sent separately.
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* If you wish to subscribe, change your e-mail address, or request a *
* subscription for someone else, send it to Rob Thomas, AIR Exec- *
* utive Office, (Florida State University). *
* If you have AIR news, send it to Larry Nelson, Editor, at: *
* (Pacific Lutheran University). *
* (Please limit submissions to 72 characters or fewer per line and *
* use mixed case, NOT ALL CAPS--NO NEED TO SHOUT.) *
* If you have news for the SCUP electronic newsletter, send it to *
* Terry Calhoun, SCUP Publ. Dir.,. *
* For further information regarding individual or organizational *
* membership in the Association for Institutional Research, contact *
* Terrence Russell, Executive Director, AIR, 114 Stone Bldg., *
* Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-3038; *
* Telephone: (904) 644-4470 or on Internet: . *
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